Photos: Space Station's Expedition 31 Mission

Bye-Bye From Baikonur

At the historic museum near the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 31/32 Flight Engineer Joe Acaba of NASA adds his name to the "Wall of Signatures." This image was released on May 11, 2012.

Expedition 31 Astronauts Pose for Photo

Attired in Russian Sokol launch and entry suits, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (center), Expedition 31 flight engineer and Expedition 32 commander; along with NASA astronaut Joe Acaba (left) and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Revin, both Expedition 31/32 flight engineers, take a break from training in Star City, Russia to pose for a portrait. This image was released Aug. 23, 2011.

Astronaut Joe Acaba in Training

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, Expedition 31/32 flight engineer, participates in a treadmill kinematics baseline data collection session in the Planetary and Earth Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Renita Fincke assisted Acaba.This image was released March 30, 2011.

Astronaut Joe Acaba Suits Up

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, Expedition 31/32 flight engineer, participates in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit fit check in the Space Station Airlock Test Article (SSATA) in the Crew Systems Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center. This image was released Oct. 19, 2011.

Crewmembers Pose with Cake

Expedition 31/32 crew members, along with Bonnie Land, pose for a photo during a cake-cutting ceremony in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. This image was released Jan. 18, 2012.

Space Station Expedition 31 Crew

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (second left), Expedition 31 flight engineer and Expedition 32 commander; along with Russian cosmonaut Sergei Revin (left) and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, both Expedition 31/32 flight engineers, participate in an emergency scenario training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Dan Burbank, Don Pettit & Andre Kuipers Answer Media Questions

Expedition 30 commander Dan Burbank of NASA, flight engineer Don Pettit of NASA (left) and European Space Agency flight engineer Andre Kuipers (center) discussed the progress of their mission on the International Space Station in a news briefing on April 11, 2012.

Me & My Spacesuit

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Expedition 30 flight engineer, poses for a photo with a Russian Orlan spacesuit in the Pirs docking module after a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Feb. 16, 2012. Kononenko is wearing a blue thermal undergarment that complements the Orlan spacesuit.

Astronaut and Oranges Float in Expedition 30 Spacecraft

European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 30 flight engineer, is pictured near fruit floating freely in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Image released Feb. 16, 2012.

Expedition 31 Soyuz Launch

The Soyuz TMA-04M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.